Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The Telegraph and Argus reviews the book Art And Yorkshire: From Turner To Hockney, edited by Jane Sellars and reminds us of some of its contents.

In the world of coffee-table soft-backs, of which this book is an interesting example, the variety of Hockney’s art work is fairly represented and includes one of his youthful Bradford streetscapes as well as the 1983 joiner ensemble of photographs snapped at Ponden Hall – Thrush Cross Grange in Wuthering Heights.
Which brings me, briefly, to the Brontës, whose pictures figure almost as often as Turner’s (Turner wins 10-7, according to my fingers and thumbs). I don’t know if Charlotte really did paint Branwell out of the painting of the three sisters, but I wouldn’t be surprised. She could be a bit of a prig. (Jim Greenhalf)

we face a low-growth capitalism, combined with high levels of inequality and low levels of social mobility. If you are not born into wealth to start with, life, for even for the best educated, will be like Jane Eyre without Mr Rochester. (Paul Mason)

Of course by the end of the novel - or ever, really - Jane Eyre doesn't need Mr Rochester financially at all.

Jane Eyre (2006)
This book has been adapted more times than anyone could possibly count, but the 2006 TV series captures the heart of Charlotte Brontë’s novel in my opinion. Then-newcomer Ruth Wilson (who went on to act in Anna Karennina and Saving Mr Banks) brings a slow-burning strength of character as the plucky heroine, and Toby Stephens’ performance as the brooding owner of Thornfield is pitch-perfect.
This production emphasizes the gothic horror of the novel, meaning that there are lots of shots of dark passageways and flickering candles. But it goes much beyond that, capturing Jane’s journey to maturity which is at the centre of the story. Try not to be distracted by occasional weird jerky camera movements or Mr Rochester’s bizarre hunting costume which makes him look like Rupert Bear. (Emily Nabney)

And The British Film Institute includes Wuthering Heights 2011 among the best British films directed by women:

Whatever the imperfection of the film’s second half, Wuthering Heights is a visionary piece of filmmaking, and a thoroughly modern adaptation. Redrawing Heathcliff from a vaguely exotic mysterious stranger to a most definitely black and fiercely resented outsider, Arnold strips back the trappings and distance of traditional costume drama. It is her work with director of photography Robbie Ryan that’s the real revelation though: together they create a natural landscape that brutally evokes the passionate cruelty at the gothic heart of the source material. (Jemma Desai)

After all, how hard could it be to transcribe 185-year-old letters if you've tackled novels by Charles Dickens and the Brontës. (John Cousins)

The Herald News features a local teacher who is to receive Mass Insight Education’s Partners in Excellence Teacher Award.

“The goal is, can they teach it back to me?” Tracy said, adding “There are different ways to access the text.”
Tracy’s point is illustrated by the different student projects seen sitting along the walls of her classroom. Those include trading cards of characters from “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, a “Hamlet” playbill, another display showing MacBeth’s hands outlined in blood, as well as scrapbooks and other projects based on literary works. (Michael Gagne)